Fuel and related compositions – Liquid fuels – Emulsion fuel
Patent
1997-12-01
1999-03-09
Howard, Jacqueline V.
Fuel and related compositions
Liquid fuels
Emulsion fuel
C10L 132
Patent
active
058794190
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.371 of prior PCT International Application No. PCT/JP96/01431 which has an International filing date of May 27, 1997 which designated the United States of America, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by references.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a method for producing an oil-in-water type, superheavy oil emulsion fuel which is usable as fuels for thermoelectric power generation.
BACKGROUND ART
It is well known that the superheavy oil emulsion fuels give stable emulsion fuels when used together with additives, such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, and fluidizing agents, and various excellent emulsifiers to be used in emulsion fuel compositions have been developed (See Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-185394, U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,676, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-313595). However, even when these additives including emulsifiers, stabilizers, and fluidizing agents are used, the concentration of the superheavy oil in the superheavy oil emulsion fuel is at most 77% by weight. A superheavy oil emulsion fuel which is stable and has good fluidity is easy to handle. As the concentration of the superheavy oil increases, the thermal energy loss by water decreases, thereby making the resulting emulsion fuel more valuable. Also, a high superheavy oil concentration is beneficial because it can be diluted upon use where necessary.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a stable, easy-to-handle superheavy oil emulsion fuel having a highly concentrated superheavy oil having good fluidity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a superheavy oil emulsion fuel obtainable by the above method.
Conventionally, it has been common to one skilled in the art that the particle size distribution must be widened in order to produce highly concentrated emulsion fuels.
As a result of intensive research in view of solving the above problems, the present inventors have found that a stable emulsion can be obtained at a superheavy oil concentration exceeding 77% by weight by limiting an amount of the superheavy oil in the emulsion to a particular range, limiting the kinds and amounts of the surfactants and an agitation stress to particular ranges, and limiting the particle size distribution to a given range. The present invention has been completed based upon these findings.
Specifically, the present invention is concerned with the following: steps of: surfactant having an HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) of 13 to 19, based on 100 parts by weight of the superheavy oil, and water, to prepare a homogeneous liquid mixture; and stress, to produce a superheavy oil emulsion fuel having a particle size distribution wherein a 10%-cumulative particle size is from 1.5 to 8 .mu.m, a 50%-cumulative particle size is from 11 to 30 .mu.m, and a 90%-cumulative particle size is from 25 to 150 .mu.m, and wherein coarse particles having particle sizes of 150 .mu.m or more occupy 3% by weight or less in the entire emulsion fuel, and wherein the concentration of the superheavy oil is from 76.5 to 82.0% by weight; or cationic surfactant is further added in an amount so as not to exceed the amount of the nonionic surfactant in step (a); compound selected from the group consisting of naturally occurring polymers and synthetic polymers, or a water-swellable clay mineral is further added in an amount so as not to exceed the amount of the nonionic surfactant in step (a); or more compounds selected from the group consisting of oxides of magnesium, calcium, and iron, hydroxides of magnesium, calcium, and iron, and salts of magnesium, calcium, and iron are further added in an amount of 0.01 to 0.5 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the superheavy oil in step (a); mechanical mixing is carried out at a shearing stress of from 1,000 to 20,000 s.sup.-1 ; to step (b), further comprising the step of: surfactant aqueous solution having an HLB of 13 to 19
REFERENCES:
patent: 5024676 (1991-06-01), Moriyama et al.
patent: 5399293 (1995-03-01), Nunez et al.
patent: 5411558 (1995-05-01), Taniguchi et al.
patent: 5505876 (1996-04-01), Rivas et al.
patent: 5551956 (1996-09-01), Moriyama et al.
Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 3rd Ed., vol. 8, pp. 910-916 (1979).
Hiraki Akio
Ichinose Toshimitsu
Moriyama Noboru
Sakamoto Koichi
Howard Jacqueline V.
Kao Corporation
Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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